Musings on Teaching Critical Thinking & Literacy

     When thinking about critical thinking and critical literacy, I like how Dennis Hayes and Heather Davis have broken them down. Dennis Hayes highlights the importance of collecting information first, then analyzing a question using the best information found. In a nut-shell, “information literacy and critical thinking […] cannot exist without the other” (Davis). One cannot do a proper job of critically analyzing a question if they are ill-informed. The information literate person must be able to recognize when they need to gather more information (Davis). To properly gather information, Heather Davis highlights these steps (taken from ACRL):

• “Determine the extent of information needed

• Access the needed information effectively and efficiently

• Evaluate information and its sources critically

• Incorporate selected information into one’s own knowledge base

• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

• Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally”

The critical thinker can then (as Davis notes):

1) Generate purposes	4) Utilize concepts	7) Generate implications
2) Raise questions	5) Make inferences	8) Embody a point of view
3) Use information	6) Make assumptions

     When a teacher, or teacher-librarian (TL), is showing, or providing, information, Hayes highlights the importance of not being a source of indoctrination, telling, or insinuating, what students should think or how they should conform. Teachers need to insure “debate and discussion based on considerable knowledge” by a critical thinking moderator (such as a teacher) occurs. Hayes doesn’t like the notion of classifying critical thinking as a skill (conceiving of it using “tick box techniques”), preferring to think of it like “having ‘a critical spirit.’”

     I feel that Davis’s and Hayes’s views of critical thinking and literacy fit together, as I have presented them. Heather Coffey offers a different perspective. She writes, “critical literacy is the ability to read texts in an active, reflective manner in order to better understand power, inequality, and injustice in human relationships.” I've found this to be a common perspective in the teaching community, but the problem I see with this definition is its limited scope. Is it not a movie or book critic’s job to use their critical abilities to dissect even more than just “power, inequality, and injustice”? That, and critically literate readers may not read a text “in order to” gain something specific from it, but the more critically literate thinker will have a greater ability to catch meanings (intended and unintended) from texts. It is part of a teacher’s job to teach societal norms, ethical practices, kindness, respect, and other valued practices, but a teacher should also be careful not to think of these things as being critical literacy or critical thinking, but rather as a form of knowledge that can be applied through their analyses and ensuing discussions of texts. I found much of what she wrote conformed to her defined perspective (a narrow focus with a well-intentioned agenda, which she is not alone in having), but she also wrote something I agreed with: “the teacher acts as conversation facilitator rather than receptacle of knowledge,” but then she finishes the sentence with, “to examine issues of power, and the ‘biases and hidden agendas within texts.’” A critically literate thinker will have these lenses on – they’ll see issues of power, biases and hidden agendas in texts, but they’ll also see more than that, they’ll see when their view point is challenged or complicated, and they’ll see other elements and themes that aren’t only related to “power, inequality, and injustice.” To me, pictures and paintings (composition, lighting, colour), architecture (aesthetics, purpose), word-less documentaries (which may have "no" attached bias), acting techniques: all of these things can be “read” and critiqued, and through more than just the focus of “power, inequality, and injustice.” I wonder if this well-intentioned narrowing of the definition and presentation of critical literacy might affect student apathy. Aspects of “power, inequality, and injustice”, in my opinion, should be analyzed within texts, but to put such an exclusive emphasis on only this form of analysis as being part of critical thinking can probably alienate students who are struggling to understand such things (such as from inexperience) and who could use positive encouragement on elements and themes of critical thinking and literacy that they understand or which they are currently more interested in. They may become social activists later in life, but other interests they have shouldn’t be over-looked. A teacher, as discussion moderator, should include social justice questions in critical analyses, but also throw in a few others, and they should not discourage students to discuss other questions, from a text, that interest them. Also, I imagine that involving students in open discussions helps engage them in learning and shows that their thoughts and opinions are valued.

As a TL, to promote critical literacy and critical thinking, I intend to teach information gathering techniques (listed in the bullet points above), help students to understand what they’re looking for and find texts to help their studies, and discuss texts with them (individually and/or part of a class or group). Dr. Ginette D. Roberge offers further ideas I like, such as:

a)     “Use student questions as a starting point for meaningful, whole-class discussions on issues of social justice,” (exploratory talk, inquiry, reflection).

b)     “Provide students with opportunities to participate in peer-led bullying prevention and intervention campaigns” (if this action followed information analysis and discussion, it can qualify as being the next step after critical literacy and thinking has occurred).

c)      “Create opportunities for safe and frank communication,” (p2).

Questions Roberge proposes to ask related to potentially uncovering “power, inequality, and injustice” are good questions I would also consider posing:

-         “Is the author trying to send a deeper message? Who might agree/disagree with this message?

-         Are other viewpoints missing?

-         What technique(s) has the author used in this story to influence the reader? How might the text differ if it had been written by someone else?

-         Who is marginalized in this text? Who is empowered?” (2)

Any additional questions would be text specific, and once these questions have been explored to the best of their abilities, students should be encouraged to pose their own questions to discuss.

References

Coffey, H. (n.d.) Critical Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4437

Hayes, D. (2014, August 9). Let’s stop trying to teach students critical thinking.
Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/lets-stop-trying-to-teach-students-critical-thinking-30321

Roberge, G (2013, June). Promoting critical literacy across the curriculum and fostering safer learning environments.  What works? Research into Practice, Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved from:  http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_PromotingCriticalLiteracy.pdf

Davis, H. (2010, February 3). Critical Literacy? Information! [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2010/critical-literacy-information/